Hunter's Story
by KkalHaley
Summary: It's been over a year since Carter met Rosie and helped her win back her country. Now she's having her own problems, but everything changes when she is sent on a case to help a remarkable little girl who changes her ways.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I do not own Princess Protection Program.

**Prologue**

_Allysia Carmelita Hunter Gregorio. The little princess from the little Island of Costa Delatorré, near South America. I don't suppose many people have heard of it, not in the big countries anyway. _

_I read that the little princess and her mother fled the country after her father was killed in an attempt to steal the crown. That is true._

_I am next in line for the throne, but my mother and I are too scared to go back until they find the man who killed my daddy. I don't know if I want to be princess any more._


	2. Carter

**Sorry that last chapter was really short, I wanted to do a prologue but couldn't think of much more to put.**

**Here is the first chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Princess Protection Program.

It had been a little over a year since Rosie was crowned queen of Costa Luna. Carter was now finishing her senior year of high school. _'Time really flies by'_ she thought. She had thought that senior year had taken so long to come, but still she knew that it would be over before she could blink.

She had seen Rosie not so long ago, but Rosie had to stay in her country as she was now the ruler. Carter wasn't sure if she wanted to go to college, or carry on being an agent at the Princess Protection Program, like her father. She had been sent on some successful missions over the past year after she helped with Rosie's case. At school people respected her more than they did, and she and Ed were still best friends. As for Brooke and Chelsea, Brooke made a new group of friends and Chelsea tried to join the group but they ignored her. Chelsea went off to a boarding school in another state. There was no reason for Carter to be unhappy.

Carter and Ed were lazing around at Carter's house doing homework.

"Carter, did you hear about Donny?" asked Ed, looking up from his book.

"No, what about him?"

"He and Margaret were caught making out in the library!"  
"Margaret?" Carter exclaimed. "As in the one that everyone calls 'Muffy'? Oh my gosh!"

"Apparently they had been dating for weeks!"

"Eww," said Carter. "Desperate much?" she and Ed laughed. Carter noticed how Ed's eyes lit up when he laughed. He seemed… cute. And she noticed that he'd been working out. But this was Carter's best guy friend since like… forever. She quickly shook the thought from her head.

"So…" said Carter. "I'm bored. Wanna do anything?"

"I don't mind," said Ed. "Anything but more homework. You'd think that the teachers would begin to lighten up nearer the end of the year." He smiled.

"Yeah," said Carter. Ed had a nice smile. It was contagious. Carter had always liked Ed, but never thought about the possibility of actually _liking_ him. Ed was kind, smart and funny, and cared about Carter a lot. Just then, Carter remembered what Rosie had said that one day at the bowling alley. _I see the way you look at him (Donny). It's the same way Ed looks at you! _

'_Does Ed like me?' _Carter wondered. She realised she was staring at Ed.

"So, what do you think we should do?" she said quickly. She pushed the thought that she had earlier to the back of her mind.

The Next day, Carter was working in the bait shop like she usually does on a Saturday morning. She was busy arranging the tubs of bait on the shelves when her cell phone rang.

"Carter Mason! You missed my last two calls!" that was Rosie.

"I did?" asked Carter. She checked her phone. "Oh, maybe I did. Sorry. What did you want to tell me about?"  
"Nothing," said Rosie. "I just wanted to check up on you."

"You worry too much," Carter laughed. "But I know it's because you care. Hey, guess what Ed told me yesterday?"

"What did Ed tell you?"

"That Donny and Margaret were caught making out in the library!"

"Making out means kissing, right?" asked Rosie, unsure.

"Yes."

"Oh my goodness, are they dating?"

"They are now!"

"That is… weird," said Rosie. "By the way, how is it going between you and Ed?"

"What do you mean, there's nothing going on between us… is there?" asked Carter.

"You mean he still hasn't made a move on you?"

"Rosie! It's Ed…"

"Oops," said Rosie.

"Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiyoure! What do you know that I don't know?" Carter put on her 'stern' voice.

"Um, nothing."

"Rosie,"

"Ed likes you," Rosie said.

"He likes me?" asked Carter.

"He likes you. I cannot believe you had not already guessed!"

"Since when has he liked me?" asked Carter.

"He liked you long before you met me."

"He did, huh?"

"Carter, do you like Ed also?" Rosie asked. Carter thought about that for a while.

"Maybe…"

"Maybe!" Rosie was getting excited. "That isn't a 'No!' You like Ed!"

"I don't know, yesterday I was having… weird thoughts about him, like he's cute and stuff and I dreamt about him last night…" Carter trailed off, realising that Rosie may be right.

"Oh my gosh, I think I may have feelings for Ed!" Carter said, in a half happy, half disgusted voice.

"I'm always right," said Rosie, smiling as she ended her conversation with her best friend.

**A/N**

**So, Carter likes Ed! Sorry, this chapter sucks, I know. But it was necessary so that the next chapter makes sense. **

**-Please don't hate me for the next chapter…**


	3. Stay Strong

"Edwin, we have some news we must tell you. I got a job promotion!" said Ed's mother as they sat him down to talk.

"That's great mom!" said Ed.

"And we're moving to Washington!" said Ed's dad.  
"Washington?"

"Yes."

"That's the other side of the country! I'm in my senior year, you can't do that!"

"We've talked to your school and there are no problems with moving. You're a good student and will do just as good in your exams. Plus, there are a lot more college choices in Washington," said Ed's dad.

"But, Washington? Can't I stay here with someone, I'm leaving all my friends and what about Carter?" said Ed.  
"Joe Mason's girl? Well you can keep in touch,"

"No, you don't understand, it's…" Ed didn't know what to say without revealing his huge crush on Carter.

"What am I going to do?" he said to himself.

Carter was woken up by the sunlight streaming through her open blinds. She didn't usually like being woken up but this time she smiled. At school today she would confront Ed ask him how he feels about her. If it was the same as what Rosie said, she would tell him how she felt about him. She was sure now that she liked him. Everything suddenly seemed a lot brighter.

"Hey Ed!"

"Hey Carter," Ed was nervous. Very nervous. On the other side, Carter was also nervous.

"I have something to tell you," they both said in unison.

"You go first," they said in unison again. _'Wow.'_ Carter thought. "Ed, you can go first,"

"No, no, yours first, mine can wait,"

"No, you go first," Carter insisted.

"Okay. This isn't easy for me to say, but… I'm moving."

"What?" Everything in Carters world felt like it stopped.

"My parents are making me move to Washington." Carter's world now came crashing down.

"Y-you can't m-move," said Carter. "Y-you just can't."

"Try telling my parents," said Ed. He looked just as upset as Carter felt. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She couldn't let Ed see her cry. She couldn't hurt him like that; make him feel guilty. Carter ran off before anything else happened.

Carter ran and ran, she'd never intentionally missed school before but she didn't care. She had to go anywhere but here. She ran until she couldn't run any further, when she was almost home she collapsed to the floor in tears. After about ten minutes she ran the last few minutes home and threw herself on her bed. Her dad hadn't finished work in the bait shop yet. He'd find her soon enough.

Joe Mason was washing his hands in the small bathroom when he heard the unfamiliar sound of crying. _Carter!_ Joe walked into Carter's room and knocked on the door. Carter's face emerged from the pillow. Her tear-streaked cheeks were hot and her eyes were red and puffy.

"What are you doing home from school? Are you sick?" Joe walked and sat down next to Carter. He put his arm around her.

"It's not like you to miss school. Tell me what's wrong," Joe wiped a tear from Carter's face. He'd never been very good at times like this.

Carter looked down and mumbled something that was hard to hear.

"Carter, honey, if you're going to speak like that I'm never going to know what's wrong am I? Come on pal, you've never been like this. I don't wanna have to talk to you like you're five years old."

"It's hard to tell you stuff like this though," said Carter.

"Is it girl problems?"  
"Boy problems." Carter said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh," said Joe. "Do you want to tell me? It must be bad, you've never been this caught up over a boy before."

"I found out yesterday that I… I'm in love with my best guy friend. But he's moving away."

"Carter? You and Ed?"  
"Yes."

"Did Rosalinda have something to do with this?"

"Dad, not the point."

"Sorry. So you like Ed, but he's moving away?"

"Yes."

"Well you can keep in touch, can't you?"

"It doesn't work like that. Long distance relationships don't work. And I may never get to see him again. This has to happen to me, doesn't it?"

"No, Carter, its just a little bad luck, that's all. If he likes you back, he'll be forced to keep in touch. I know what it's like, being a teenage boy."

"Thanks Dad," Carter hugged her dad, not knowing for sure whether that little talk helped much or not. But it would have to. She couldn't live her whole life unhappy. Joe left the room and Carter decided to call Rosie. She needed a serious girl talk.

"Rosie here," Rosie didn't seem very busy lately, but Carter knew that she would drop everything to talk to her best friend. Especially if something was wrong.

"Hey, it's me."

"Carter, have you been crying? Oh no, it's Ed, isn't it?"

"He's moving to Washington,"

"Oh, Carter," Rosie wished she could fly straight over to Louisiana and comfort Carter. But she had a meeting in an hour and it was to be a quite important one. "I wish I could come to see you."

"It's okay, I'm managing… I think," Carter's sadness had left her and now she felt… numb. Like she had no emotions whatsoever.

"You do not sound like you are okay. Would you like me to come to visit?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I just feel like I want to collapse die right now."  
"Take that back!" Rosie's fierceness startled Carter. "You must never say that, Carter Mason! Do you hear?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it literally!" Carter had to smile at Rosie's misunderstanding.

"That is okay then," said Rosie. "I miss you, Carter. I shall speak to you soon. I hope you feel better. Do not let that boy get to you, okay. Be strong."

"I shall," said Carter. _I'll try._

"And always remember that I am never far behind," said Rosie. Carter smiled. Rosie was always one to reassure.


	4. Assignment

Carter avoided Ed at school the next day. He was leaving at the end of that week, but Carter didn't want to see him. She just couldn't. In history, the class that Carter sat next to Ed, she didn't talk. Ed could tell Carter was in a bad mood, so he left her alone, he knew Carter could get angry if she was disturbed. He knew it was because of him, but what could he do? Whenever he tried to talk to her or apologize to her she simply ignored him or tried to walk away.

Carter hated herself for acting like she was. It made her feel stupid and childish. But she didn't know what else to do. She was beginning to feel depressed but she didn't know why, she'd never made much of a deal about anything before, but even though it was a broken heart, she wasn't sure why it had affected her so much, and in so little time.

Carter walked through the doors to the Princess Protection Program Institute the morning after, deciding it would be best to let them know about her problem with Ed so they would be aware of that and not ask her to do any assignments for a while. She just needed a break and was worried that too much work could cause stress which would enable her to get distracted. That could ultimately cause her to mess up and put someone's life in danger. Carter walked down the hallway and was greeted by the familiar face of the director.

"Hello Carter Mason, it's good to see you," the Director said to Carter in her thick Russian accent. "And what perfect timing, see we were just about to call you and tell you about something we have in store for you. It will be a challenge but I am more than confident you will be an excellent choice for the job." She led Carter through the few corridors that she knew well and Carter struggled to keep up with the speed in which the Director walked.

"An assignment? Just for me? I'm sorry, Madame, but I came to tell you that-" As she was led into the central database room, her eyes locked on the computer screen near the door. She stepped closer to it and stared at it, almost in awe.

"She… she looks like me. She looks a lot like me," Carter was astonished, this girl was almost spitting image of a younger Carter, the picture on the screen showed the little girl sporting a playfully sneaky scowl at the camera. Carter suspected it was from the dress she was wearing- pink silk.

"This, agent Mason, is Princess Allysia Carmelita Hunter Gregorio, of Costa Delatorré." Carter was now familiar with the smaller island nations that not many people knew about, thanks to Rosie and the PPP. She remembered Costa Delatorré being mentioned once or twice.

"This princess is only twelve years old and her and her family have been members of the Princess Protection program for years and years. But there has been some problems lately."

"Problems?" Carter asked.

"Yes. Big problems. There has been terrorist attacks on the kingdom for a few months now, led by a rival to the royal family. The king was killed six months ago, we are sure that it was an intentional murder, one to dissolve the royal family so that the leader, General Rudi could rule. We have no leads to the General's whereabouts but we are sending out our best investigators. But for now, we need someone to protect the princess, but also be willing to help out with the investigations if need be."  
"And that's where I come in," Carter stated.

"That is correct," The director said. "But this case, however, is a special one. We will not be putting Princess Allysia through the stages of protection, she is already in hiding. She will be staying with you, and doing whatever you will be doing to help free her country. She is trained in forms of protection and also partly trained as an agent like you are, but she cannot protect herself, she is too young. You have not been through as much training as our Majors here, but you, Carter, are potentially a very strong agent, and with your two years of training you know how to defend yourself exceptionally well. I am positive you can do this, Ms. Mason. It will be a challenge, but I think you'll rise to it."

Carter went over everything in her head. She'd be off on an assignment on an island near South America for as long as she'd be needed. She'd be very busy and that would keep her mind off of things for a while. She knew from experience that she'd be more suited to a younger princess because of her age, and it would be an adventure. But then she weighed out the bad things. There were a lot. She took another look at the computer screen, again being amazed by how much the little girl resembled herself. She couldn't not do this.

"Okay," Carter decided. "I accept."


	5. Interlude 1: Notes

_**Notes on Princess Allysia #2 (or 3?) **__** Carter M**_

_Allysia Carmelita Hunter Gregorio_

_First Daughter of King Thomas Edward Gregorio and Mariana Tierney Gregorio (__né__e__ Challen), born June 13__th__ 1998 in the royal family's castle in the island nation of Costa Delatorré. (Age 12)_

_Languages: Spanish (native), English, also fluent in Portuguese, French, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. _

_Defensive skills taught: Karate, Tai-kwon-doe, trained in the Princess Protection Program from a young age._

_Appearance: Long dark curly hair, 4ft 9in (last measured), brown eyes, pale – olive colored skin._

_Gregorio and her mother escaped from the castle into hiding after the recent terrorist attacks on Costa Delatorré, travelling to the east of the country. For protection, after following some of the stages of the Princess Protection program, the princess decided to go by the name of Hunter Callus, Callus being the last name of a family friend. _

_Most have noticed the absence of the two most important people in the royal family, but the General in charge of the attacks has not immediately gone to look for them, instead, waiting for the right time to dissolve their empire._

_Hunter Callus_

_Age: 12 (13 next month)_

_Appearance: medium length brown hair, everything else pretty much the same as before._

_Hunter was last seen headed toward the south of Costa Delatorré, over the other side of the island where there is another smaller nation, a separate one. _

_There had been a few small feuds between the two nations but they were resolved when King Thomas, a member of the northern nation, married Mariana, a native of the southern. It showed that it was possible for the two nations to be as equal and new laws were passed to give the people of the south the same rights as the people of the north. The feuds ended completely after Princess Allysia was born, the first person of high importance to be mixed-race._


	6. Interlude 2: Driving

_He was enduring a long night of driving, but he knew that if he kept going, he'd get there by morning. It was quite a nice drive, going to the town centre in the south district from over in the west. Wasn't too hard, except that he'd chosen to leave at ten in the evening. Stupid idea. He was very tired now, but he decided that one more half hour wouldn't be too bad. He was enjoying the scenery, passing along a road built like a highway, with trees and bushes either side. All of a sudden, he caught a glimpse of something. It looked like a shoe. Usually he wouldn't have cared less about a shoe at the side of the road but this caught his eye. It was a sandal, a brown one. He slowed right down and looked through his rear view mirror. He then saw what he thought he had before, what he was dreading wasn't so. _

_A foot, still in the sandal. _

_Also he could see part of a leg sticking out from under the shrubbery. He pulled over to the side of the road and got out, willing to investigate. He knew that if it was a… dead body… he'd report it. He didn't like the idea of anyone not knowing where their mother/father/son/daughter was and didn't know if it had been seen by anyone else. _

_He was praying that the person was alive._

_He slowly and cautiously crept up to the body. Closer up, he saw that the sandal was worn down and the foot was very small; maybe a child's. _

"_Hello?" he called out. "__Hola__?" he called a little louder. He started as the leg moved a little before bending back and a small boy appeared from out of the bushes._

"_Oh__,__gracias__ a Dios__!" He said when he saw the boy. "Thank goodness!" The boy looked very nervous._

"_Pensé__que__estabas muerto!" The boy gave him a strange look. He thought for a while._

"_Do you speak Spanish?" he asked, his English good but strongly accented. The boy nodded. _

"_But you, uh, understand English too?" he asked. The boy nodded again. He looked the boy over. He was wearing an old hat and an oversized t-shirt with a pair of grass-stained shorts. His clothes were ripped and dirty, but his eyes were bright with anxiety and he looked very nervous._

"_Are you headed South?" He asked finally. The boy nodded._

"_Come on, get in. I don't want you to sleep outside again. Es muy peligroso!" He opened the car door and the boy hopped in. He had little to no possessions, only a small bag that was probably filled with clothes._

_He started up the car, muttering to himself. __"Niños__,__muy__estúpido__,__los niños__no__debe__escaparse de la casa__,"_

_The boy scowled in the front seat to disguise his laughing. _


	7. Approach

**Just gonna start with a quick note like I always do – this time I want to say thank you for reading and I am slowly getting there and writing more chapters. I recently re-discovered my inspiration to write this fic but I am stuck on filler chapters which I find hard to write. I could probably use a little support if you want this story to carry on, though, because as much as I love this idea, I have other fics that sneak their way into my mind that I may or may not publish, so this is not always first one I think of. So please review and tell me your ideas/thoughts/criticism and I will hopefully get back on track. Sorry this took so long.**

Reading over the princess's files intrigued Carter. She was fascinated by the little girl's looks – that was the main reason that she took up the case, she looked like she could be Carter's younger sister. Ed had a younger sister, Megan, and Carter loved her, she helped Ed babysit sometimes and Carter would watch her play for hours. She couldn't bear to think of what might happen to Princess Allysia if she was not there to help. She had been taught not to get too attached to the princesses she helps for many reasons, but Carter had a big heart and she knew that that was a rule she would probably end up breaking, just like she did with Rosie, now her best friend. And that didn't cause any trouble, she thought. Allysia's story, however, was what fascinated Carter the most. It was like some fictional story, although for the little girl it was all she had ever known. Her father was murdered and she lived with her mother, they tried as they could to run the country and sort out the many riots and arguments the societies encountered. Then some terrorists from a neighbouring country discovered Delatorré and started to try and take control of the island, starting with the Royal Palace. Allysia and her mother fled, but Allysia's mother was kidnapped somewhere and Allysia was now on the run.

Carter's plans were few, she was never one to properly prepare for anything, but the things she did usually always turned out alright in the end. It was risky, her approach, but if she pulled it off, she always succeeded highly.

The reason she had chosen this approach for such a dangerous job was because she discovered that there was probably a lot of information missing. She didn't know exactly what they had missed out or why – whether they didn't know or had lost the information, or it was too classified for some reason, but she knew that this mission had to depend highly on her knowledge and her instincts.

The princess was last spotted heading South; that was all she was given about the directions to find Allysia. She didn't exactly know where to start, but she would figure that out once she arrived. In the P.P.P. helicopter, the journey took a few hours, and Carter was a little nervous, she wasn't used to going on missions on her own. She remembered what Rosie had told her: _'you are fearless, Carter Mason. You can do anything. Being fearless is about overcoming your worries and fears, and I know you can do that.'_ She instantly felt reassured. She thought of her father as well, and Ed, and even though it made her feel a little guilty that she didn't exactly say goodbye, she knew she needed to clear her head, especially considering she was so confused about her feelings for him and what actions she should have taken towards them.

On arriving at the helicopter port, Carter grew excited. She loved stepping out of a plane or a car or in this case, a helicopter, and seeing this complete new scenery, new surroundings, and different weather than she grew up with in Louisiana or even the USA in general. This was a whole new scene entirely, there were palm trees and tropical flowers all around, and the sky was so much bluer than she had seen in Louisiana or Costa Luna. The two nations – Costa Luna and Costa Delatorré, Carter realised from where she stood, had completely different climates and surroundings. The temperature where she stood was very warm like she had been told, and she instantly loved it. It wasn't warm and humid, like where she lived, but warm and fresh feeling.

Carter had had some time to think on the helicopter ride over, so she had figured out a place to start. She took the car that the P.P.P. assistant had gotten ready for her and set off to the Royal Palace.


	8. Meeting Hunter

Carter knew that the Royal Palace may be held under the Terrorists while the Queen and the Princess were out of the way, but she was sure, almost certain, that most of the staff would still be there, working for them.

Rosie had had her dressmaker, Mr Eleganté, as a close friend of the royal family to help her with problems and to give her advice. Someone in the palace had to know Princess Allysia like Eleganté knew Rosie.

The palace was similar to ones Carter had seen before, all were royal and elegant and shiny. This one was a little smaller than others, but still didn't cease to amaze the eighteen year old. She found a way in through a small and simple disguise she put together; she looked like someone who would work in the king's court and that was a good enough way for her to not be suspected as an intruder whilst she was looking for a way in. She knew also that she should not reveal her PPP badge as a way of getting through the security because the terrorists who were likely to have taken over the palace would've seen her as what she was – a threat to them, and she would've been captured and locked up, if not, killed.

The grounds inside the gates were beautiful, full of gardens and the main building was a glossy white colour with columns to hold up the roof of the vast walkways to and from the Palace itself. She asked someone who looked to be fairly normal for directions to the Dressmaker using their native language, Spanish. She knew it was unlikely that the Dressmaker of this Royal family would know as much about them as Rosie's did but it was worth a try.

"¿Perdón, señor, si es usted el… modista? [_Excuse me sir, are you the dressmaker?_]" Carter asked. She wasn't the best at speaking Spanish, she knew a little, but not that much.

"Sí, ¿cómo puedo ayudar? [_Yes, how can I help you?]_" he replied.

"Hablas Inglés? [_do you speak English]"_ Carter asked.

"Yes," he said. "How can I help? I do not think I have met you before, señora,"

"No, you've not met me. I was just wondering if you knew anyone who knew a little bit of information about the Princess, like, is there anyone here who knew her well? I have come to protect her," Carter said. She hoped that the dressmaker would believe her.

"How can I trust you?" he asked.  
"I am from the Princess Protection program," she said, showing her badge. She knew that she could still be unsafe, revealing her job like that but she had to take the risk or else she wouldn't get very far.

"Sí, yes, I have heard speak of the program from la Reina [The queen]."

"So you trust me? Yes?"

"Sí. La tutora, la Princesa's teacher, she is very close to the Royal Family and should know what you need."

"Gracias, señor," said Carter, after receiving directions to the Princess's tutor. "Adios."

Carter, after walking a little while to the opposite end of the palace courtyard, came to the small room that the directions she was given led to. One of the windows had been pushed so it was slightly ajar and inside she could hear someone singing. She listened for a little while and peered into the window to see if the voice belonged to anyone in that room. The windows were dark tinted and the gap was a little too small to see through so Carter went to the door which was also slightly open and looked inside. There was a fairly young woman inside, singing as she watered some plants that sat on the window ledge opposite to where Carter was standing. Inside the room the walls were brightly colored and one wall had a large blackboard attached to it. It had a couple of desks near the front. It looked pretty ordinary for a royal classroom, but Carter liked that about it.

She knocked on the door softly and the woman's head turned in her direction.

"Hello," said Carter. She knew that the tutor was likely to have helped with the Princess's English speaking and trained her to speak lots of different languages like Rosie's had, so she obviously could speak English; and that was a big help for Carter.

"You are English, señora? Sí?"

"Yes, I am, you must be the Royal tutor, right?"

"Yes. That is what I am."

"Okay, well, I am agent Mason from the Princess Protection Program," Carter explained. "I would like to ask you a few questions about the Princess's whereabouts."

"I have been told about the Princess Protection Program, I am familiar," said the teacher, to Carter's relief. "But I need you to show your badge and a form of I.D. to match it to."

"No problem," said Carter. She took out her wallet, badge and her license from her bag. She opened her wallet to show her driver's license that she had gotten the year before and the woman also inspected her badge and P.P.P. license.

"Okay, that is satisfactory, I will tell you what I know," said the woman, handing back Carter's belongings.

"Thank you," said Carter. "I first want to know if I can trust you to protect Princess Allysia's identity and whereabouts by speaking not a word of this conversation to anyone else."

"I am trustworthy; for I am a close friend of the King and Queen's, Princesa Allysia is very important to them, therefore me as well. She knows she could come to me for emergencies."

"And you swear to that?"

"I swear."

"Okay, I believe you. I have been assigned to look after Princess Allysia until the terrorist attacks are put to a stop, and I was wondering if you knew her well enough to find out if she has any family friends who live down in the Southern region?"

"I know that her highness, Queen Mariana has a few close friends that she sees that live in the south-east; a man and a boy of a few years older that the princesa. They live in an apartment block in a place called 'la ciudad lejana.' The apartment block is just across the south-eastern border, near the town centre. Very easy to find. It is the largest apartment block – I used to live in the area when I was growing up, so I know my way around."

"Thank you very much for your time, señora, I should get to work. I assure you I would never do anything to harm the Princess."

"You are welcome, Agent Mason," said the woman.

Carter was satisfied that she trusted the woman enough to follow her directions and she trusted that she would not tell anyone. She had watched her very closely and tried to identify the kind of body language she used and she showed no signs of unfaithfulness and dishonesty, so Carter trusted that enough for now.

After what felt like a forever of driving round and round in circles and trying to make sense of the complicated signs that were all in Spanish (curse the teachers at school for only teaching her French, she had to rely on what little Rosie had taught her), she finally spotted a sign saying 'centro de la ciudad' which she guessed must have meant she was nearing her destination.

The apartment block that she finally reached in the end was, like the woman had said, the largest one she saw. It was tall and grey, and Carter entered the building through a revolving glass door and made her way up to the room that she was given after writing down what the tutor had said on a piece of paper. She rode up to the 12th floor in the elevator and then made her way up to apartment 68B. She checked the piece of paper once more for reassurance and then stepped forward and knocked on the green apartment door. She heard a couple of shouts from which sounded like a child's and then an adult's voice, and then she heard someone approach the door. It slowly opened revealing a boy with tanned skin and dark hair that fell a little above his shoulders with a fringe that covered his left eye. He looked at Carter with an impatient and somewhat rude expression, and she was almost a little taken aback when she realised he was just a kid and so she regained her posture and couldn't help but roll her eyes at her behaviour.

"I'm looking for the Princess, Allysia Gregorio," began Carter. "I am here to help her."  
"Yeah, and I'm six feet tall, but we both know that's never gonna happen," smirked the boy sarcastically. "I don't know the Princess."

"How about Hunter Callus? I've been searching for her, I'm from the Princess Protection Program, an institution that rescues, transforms and relocates Princesses to keep them safe if they are in danger."

"Sorry, can't help," the boy almost shut the door in Carter's face but Carter heard a man's voice question: "Princess Protection Program?"

"Yes sir." Carter watched as a man who looked to be in his thirties with fairly long dark hair that was parted in the middle and a similar complexion to the boy appeared behind. He had on quite old, casual clothes and slippers. He looked Carter up and down.

"You work for the P.P.P?" asked the man. "Let me see your badge." Carter showed him.

"Driver's license?" he asked. She did the same again with her Drivers license.

"Registry and Security license," he said, lastly. She pulled out the certificate from her bag and he inspected it closely, before nodding and handing everything back, seemingly satisfied.

"Your Joe Mason's daughter?" he asked. "I worked with him once, a long while ago. Good man."

"Thank you sir," Carter said.

"How is he?"

"He's good, still working,"

"Good, it would be a waste if he gives that up anytime soon. Please excuse my rudeness, I am Eli Callus," He held out his hand for Carter to shake. "Good, firm handshake, that's good. This is my son, Jonas." He gestured to the boy, who gave a small nod in greeting. "You can come in, if you like, I expect you want to see Hunter?"

"Yes, I need to talk to her."  
"I trust you to take good care of our girl," Eli said.

"No problem," Carter said.

"Okay then. Jonas, tell her it is safe to come out now."

"Will do," Carter watched the boy slink away into what looked like a bedroom. Soon he appeared with a dark haired girl following behind.

"Hun, before you freak," said Eli to the girl. "This is Agent Mason. She is from the Princess Protection Program. She'd like to have a word with you."

Hunter looked at Carter for a minute and Carter looked back at her. They noticed the resemblance between each other almost immediately and Carter gasped.

"Whoa," Jonas said, looking between the two.

Hunter stood there, looking shocked and terrified. Without a word, she took off and ran out of the apartment.

* * *

**A/N: About the town name… yeah, I'm terrible with coming up with names for places. People, I can cope with. Places? Not so much. But at least I know enough Spanish to write this story (although some may be wrong, I don't always pay attention in class, so my apologies)! Thanks for reading.**

**And thank you to _Rainbowscape_ for helping me out with your review although I read it after I wrote this chapter - kkalHaleyx**


	9. The City of Flowers

"Hunter!" called Eli.

"Great, you scared her off," Jonas glared at Carter, who winced.

"No, she's just a little emotional," said Eli. "Jonas, go get her, and if you can't bring her back, make sure she's safe."

"Okay," he said noncommittally and promptly exited, much like the little princess beforehand.

"Sorry about that," said Carter. "I shouldn't have just shown up and surprised her like that. I feel terrible now,"

"She'll come to her senses once she knows that I trust you," Eli reassured.

"You gonna stay until they come back? You're welcome to crash on the couch if they come back late,"

"Thank you," said Carter, gratefully. "As long as it's not a problem, otherwise I'll find somewhere else. But what about Hunter? I trust you don't mind my calling her that,"

"Nonsense. And no, like I said, she'll come around. She always does."

"She's done this before?"

"Yeah, she's only a kid, but she's smart, and she won't go far, she knows how dangerous it can be. But she gets upset sometimes and I guess it's just her way of sorting herself out."

"I guess I can relate," said Carter. "I grew up without a mother, and my dad was away most of the time. I worried about him, risking his life. It scared me. I think that really made me grow up a lot quicker than the other kids I knew."

"Well if I know one thing, it's that Joe raised you well, I must say, you resemble him quite a bit. He was one of the most genuinely kind hearted guys I ever knew, and a looker too. You definitely got that from him, if you don't mind my saying, not suggestively, of course." Carter blushed.

"Thanks. Hey, do you mind if I crack open some work for Hunter's case? I feel as if there's something I've missed out, or is missing? I don't know. Just work."

"No problem."

"I know you're trusted, but I'm not exactly allowed to have anyone see these files. Do you mind?"

"Of course not. The guest bedroom is down the hall, last door on the right. There's a desk in there too."

"Thank you,"

"No problem, Ms. Mason."

* * *

"Hey, butthead," Hunter looked up to the dark haired boy walking over to her, with a half-hearted glare at the nickname.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Remember who found you last time?" he teased. She groaned a little in memory, but it was in a slightly playful manner. She could never hate Jonas.

They both sat in silence for a long time, just thinking, listening to the sounds of the streets around them and the few birds, crickets and other wildlife that were out at that time in the early evening.

"Jonas," said Hunter, as he sat down beside her on the edge of the large slate-colored fountain in the middle of the park. "What do you feel?"

"What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"I mean, what are you thinking? What emotions do you have, what… what is now?"

"Why?"

"I want to know, Jonas. I want to know, how I am supposed to act, what I am supposed to feel, what I am needed for-" she cut off and paused for a while. "I'm confused, Jonas."

"About everything?"

"About everything," Hunter repeated in agreement. She sighed.

"Do you want to talk?"  
"I don't know. I'm scared, Jonas, I'm terrified, and now I have someone showing up who scarily looks just like me and she wants to take me away,"

"Wait, you don't know that for sure."

"Jonas, I am in hiding! I'm pretty sure that everyone is after me."

"Yes, but she may just want to stay and watch over you, like a bodyguard, or an authority figure,"

"But how can I trust her? I don't want to trust anyone. Not even Eli, he didn't even send her away!"

"Then he must trust her."  
"Who is she, anyway? That girl. And why does she look so much like me? I saw her and she looked like an older version of myself, and that made me really scared. It was like looking into some weird mirror, It really creeped me out!"

"And so you ran away. Again."

"I'm sorry, but how would you feel if you saw someone who looked just like you? Even you noticed the resemblance between she and I, you said 'Whoa' when you realised."

"I know," said Jonas. "That was pretty weird, so I guess I understood why you wanted to get the hell out of there." Hunter nodded.

"I just like to go here when I am sad, or worried, or scared; it calms me."

"It is a beautiful place, this, though."

"Yeah, it is. I used to come here all the time with my father, and since then I have sneaked out of the Palace once or twice when I wanted to get away, or get over something. It takes a while to get here but it is worth the journey. I just sit here, listen to the waterfall behind me, and admire the garden. This is the one thing about this whole town, maybe even the whole nation, that makes me able to call it 'home'. I know that sounds clichéd but I cannot think of another place that is this important and special to me."

Jonas nodded and looked around at the small park. All around them were beautiful flowers of every type and colour, and other trees and plants that made it really amazing. Despite the fact that he was a boy, he could see the beauty in the nature and understood why Hunter had grown to love the place so much.

"The City of Flowers," he said. Hunter smiled.

"You know," he said again, after a few moments of silence between the two. "We are gonna have to go back there sometime. Eli worries, and you know you shouldn't be out alone in case people recognise you. Heck, you shouldn't really be out at all unless you are wearing hats or scarves and stuff to keep your face covered a little."

"You cut my hair," she said, the corner of her mouth turning up a little at the memory. "Wasn't that little massacre episode enough?"

"Oh, so you're joking now?" said Jonas, smiling. He watched her try to hold back the small smile playing on her lips. "See, I got you smiling!" Hunter shook her head softly.

"Will she be there still? That girl?"

"Probably," Jonas replied, honestly. "But if Eli trusts her then I say we should at least try. But you know I'll always protect you, Hun."

"I know," said Hunter. "Hey, thank you."

"No problem," replied Jonas with a genuine smile. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," said Hunter, getting off of the fountain and taking a quick look around, refreshing the picture of her special place that she always kept in her mind.

After all, it could be the last time she would ever see it.

* * *

Carter scanned over the folder of files she was given about Hunter and her case. She couldn't help but notice the photographs attached. There were three, one of the princess when she was a little younger, maybe around nine or ten, one that must've been taken fairly recently and a slightly blurry one of the princess as a young child. Carter studied these photos carefully, but not because she thought that'd be necessary, but because she was still so astonished at how much the little girl looked like her. It was just so… bizarrely uncanny to find someone who looked like she could be her daughter…Carter suddenly froze.

Or her little sister.

No, what on earth was she thinking, just because they looked alike doesn't mean that they were in any way related.

Hunter's mother was a queen.

Although, Carter's mother left her when she was too young to remember her…

No, of course not. That couldn't be the case.

But still, it really made her wonder.

She flipped through the pages in the folder, taking a quick look at each one she'd read through, trying to find out that important detail she had a feeling she'd missed. She knew in her gut that something was missing, something big. The P.P.P. otherwise would not have sent Carter out with only vague detail and instructions of her mission. Even so, she knew something was wrong.

The princess's country was being invaded by terrorists. Terrorists usually have a reason for attacking, did they not? Carter knew that much. She was sure it wasn't the government, the country was run by the royal family and the closest people to the government were people of the king's court and the lords or ladies that were not. The country seemed fairly peaceful with no major disagreements aside from the feuds between the regions in the past, but she knew that they were more to do with people's opinions and racism than it was to do with the government. Carter knew that the leader of the terrorists was Rudi, and he wanted the throne.

But why hadn't he taken it already? He easily could have done, since the King was dead and the Queen and Princess had been kidnapped or driven away.

Then again, if he hadn't already stolen the throne, there must still be something in the way.

Carter came to a file that she had previously thought was just a blank piece of paper. The last time she looked at it, she was at home at her desk, and it was night time. She remembered that the lamp she used was fairly dim, and now, with the bright light of the bedroom glaring down at her, she noticed that some faint encryptions were written on the page.

It was all in code. That must be a clue to something that no one else had previously discovered.

Something that was extremely secret.

Something that Rudi and the terrorists were looking for.

* * *

**A/N: So, in this chapter you get to meet Hunter a little. I like her character. She's nice to write. **

**Thanks to my inspiration for this chapter, the book 'The Swan Kingdom' (I think) by Zoe Marriott, As soon as I read the words 'City of Flowers' on one of the early pages, I dropped everything I was doing and instantly had to write this. :D**

**I hope you liked it, and the next chapter should be up soon. -x**


	10. Thoughts, Fears

After relocating to the couch in Eli's living room with a mug of coffee, Carter decided to put the case to rest for the night. Eli had suggested that she run through her plan and protection methods for Hunter with him, so that he knew what was to be expected of the princess. Carter was so far impressed at how much Eli cared for Hunter, like it was his own daughter that she was to be looking after for as long as the procedure would take. She noted the fondness in his eyes when he talked about her and was glad that the princess had been kept in such warm and welcoming care while she was hiding. She and Jonas had grown up together, Jonas being Eli's son and Eli being almost like a brother to the queen; so she knew that Hunter had a really good and safe support system at the moment, as she was going through an extremely tough time. Carter just hoped that she would be able to get through to Hunter in a way that would enable the girl to trust her and work with her; but she knew that the princess loved her country and her mother enough that she would oblige, if not willingly, but with at least a little trust.

It wasn't long before Jonas returned with Hunter in tow, and Carter stayed put in her seat while Eli got up to open the door.

"Thanks for joining us again guys," he said in kind-hearted humor. Jonas nodded and Carter noticed that Hunter was looking at her with intent eyes as soon as she was spotted. That didn't stop until Hunter heard her name being called.

"Hunter? Do you mind if Agent Mason has a word with you?" Eli asked.

"Huh? Sorry-" she began to say to Eli as she regained her state of mind. "Uh… I refuse."

"Hunter, her father worked with me a few years ago, I trust her."

"But not I," said Hunter. "This is too sudden." And with that, she left the room. Jonas went after her.

_This was going to take a while._

Lying on the Callus' couch in the middle of the night was the first time Carter realised that she had not even had a single thought about Ed. His face appearing in her mind reminded the teenager how guilty she had been feeling for just disappearing like she did. She hadn't contacted Rosie at all, not that she'd been long away from home, but it made her rethink everything she had done. She had been pretty careless, and reckless, she didn't have a steady plan. For all she knew, Eli and Jonas could be serial killers or something stupid like that. She came to the conclusion that she was probably far too unprepared and far too young to do this sort of job. It was a man's job, she thought, fit for people big and strong, and brave. On thinking about this, Carter suddenly felt a whole lot smaller.

She felt scared.

The restlessness and the fear that the young Mason held refused to subside for the remainder of the night, so Carter woke up from a two-hour sleep feeling achy and sad. She left a note for Eli saying thank you and that she would be back to talk to Hunter soon, but from now on would be continuing work elsewhere and tracking the terrorists so that she could protect the princess from afar. It was too weird between the two girls, and she hadn't been able to even try and earn the younger girl's trust. That was something, she decided, for another time. She was able to tag and track the terrorists using a P.P.P. device that she was given, and they were not far away.

Which was a huge problem. She would only have a matter of days before they started to search the inner city. That meant she needed to get Hunter out of there.

"Eli, I need to get Hunter to listen to me," Carter explained later on that day. She had called Eli previously and was now standing back in the apartment conversing in slightly hushed tones. Jonas and Hunter were busy in their respective bedrooms and didn't even know that Carter had arrived, so she decided it would be best to keep it that way until need be. Carter decided she would try her best and put the awkwardness (caused by the shock of them looking so alike and the tiny fact that they may possibly be related or something scary like that) aside them so they could talk.

"And you'll have to relocate her after?" asked Eli.

"She'll be staying with me, but yes, we have to get out of here. We'll be on the move until it is safe, but this time I am prepared for the worst."

"And the worst is?"

"We get captured,"

"Crap," said Eli. "How long do we have?"

"Three days, tops," said Carter.

"Okay," said Eli. "I'll get her." He disappeared into the bedroom and Carter sat down at the table in the living room. After about five or so minutes, Eli managed to convince Hunter to come out and speak to Carter.

"If you will excuse us, please, Eli," the princess said with as polite a voice as she could muster at the moment, her hands almost shaking with anxiety. Eli went out of the room and the princess sat down opposite Carter.

"You may begin," she said, her voice feeble. She was still stunned at their resemblance as well, and tried to focus on the problem at hand instead, so she didn't stare too much.

"There are terrorists all over the country, looking for something," began Carter. "Looking for you. They know that you are in possession of something, or that you know something that is the only thing stopping them from completing their mission to completely take over. And you know that they cannot kill your mother while you are still alive. These men are smart, and they have so far searched through most of the country and are nearing the south. It's only a matter of days before they scour the city. You're under a lot of pressure, and in a huge amount of danger."

"…How much?" Hunter asked.

"Well, as soon as you are spotted by anyone, and I mean _anyone_ who works for the General, you will be captured and they will try and get the information they need from you. You could be tortured, tormented, or if not you, then your mother. If they have you, they will have no need to keep your mother alive." Hunter was horrified, and she placed her head in her hands, trying to wish away what Carter had just said.

"We must leave," Hunter finally said, after a long moment of silence from the both of them.

"Do you trust me?"  
"Not completely," Hunter said.

"That's wise, since you never know who anyone is properly. But you'll be with me, and I am to protect you with my life, and so you can trust me, but only when you are ready."  
"You never once mentioned that I would be safe," Hunter mused, her voice quiet.

"I learnt from my father that if I am ever taken away in a car or something with a stranger, I know to run if they keep mentioning the words 'safe' or 'secure'. Since I learnt that I got into the habit of avoiding those words," Carter laughed. Hunter was debating on whether or not she would believe the agent, but she chose just to go along with it anyway.

"May I ask a personal question?" Hunter asked after a while.

"Sure," Carter was glad that Hunter was actually talking to her.

"What is your age?"

"I recently turned eighteen years old."  
"That is young for someone of your occupation, is it not?"

"Yeah, I guess. But that is why I am here to help you, the P.P.P. thought it would be easier for you to have someone of a similar age to protect you, and I am kind of the youngest. But I was taught from a young age from my father. He saved the life of a princess who is now my best friend, and the Queen of Costa Luna."

"I see," Hunter said.

"You'll need to bring spare clothes and only your most precious belongings, I know you already only have a little amount of things that are your own but we need to cut down on those." Hunter nodded.

"We have two days, and then we'll head out of town."

**This chapter is dedicated to my little pet crab, Haley James, who I caught at the beach. I had to return her back to her home, though, but she was cute (well, as cute as crabs can be anyway)! And sorry for the long delay, I have had lots of end-of-year schoolwork and I've been abroad where I've had no internet. But I hope this suffices for now! xx**


	11. Ambivalence, Uncertainty, Realization

**A/N: To start, for whoever's reading this ('tis much appreciated) I've realised that I have some unanswered questions and things from previous chapters, but I'm feeding small amounts of information into each chapter and by the end everything will be woven together and should make sense. I am sorry I have not been updating regularly but I am working on other things that have been on my mind. I do enjoy this story and its one that I have some sort of connection with, therefore I know, despite the (seemingly) small amount of traffic to this, I will continue to write because I know that I won't settle until I've come to a decent conclusion, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this journey that the characters are taking, although I know it may take a little while for me to accomplish that.**

**I thought that I owed some sort of explanation… :)**

**Thanks to those loyal readers who I may have that are interested in this story and have been reading from the start, I appreciate it.**

_An unfamiliar sound led the young girl into pausing from her activity and getting up to look out of her vast bedroom window. She gasped at what she could see; people she clearly had never seen before, many men, similar to the guards that she was used to seeing, but dressed differently, and they were armed. Her curiosity; if not slight fear, got the better of her (it was something that tended to happen more often than not), and so she threw on her coat and sped out of the room and down the corridor, rushing to her mother's chamber. She wondered who these people were, and wanted to get her mother's outlook; she had a keen sense of premise, she had always known exactly what to think of people and things that they had not come across before. But her mother had to know them, right?_

"_Mother! Mama!" She knocked on the door and yelled, wanting to make sure that she was heard; that she didn't get mistaken for someone she was not. When she received no answer, she ran down the hall, dodging an unaware maid, who just smiled at the girl's antics._

"_Mother!" she yelled as she ran. She was usually in her chamber around this time of day; it must be after about four o' clock almost every day she resigned to her room and had a few hours of peace in her own company. She was usually shooed out of her mother's way for most of that time; told to go and tell anyone else about what she had on her mind, or go play with someone else around the palace. She'd grown accustomed to her mother's ways by now, and hardly ever bothered her when she was alone in her chamber, but this was something she had a slight wavering of feelings about. Something in the back of her mind nagged at her that something may be wrong, although that had happened before, and it had turned out that she was just 'letting her imagination run away with her'. Words of her mother, not her own._

_But this time she was right to be concerned. _

"_No, don't do this!" the girl was approached by voices as she neared the gateway to the courtyard. She recognised the voice of her mother instantly; her voice was pained and unhappy._

"_Shut up, or you'll be hurt," said a man's voice. The girl, as silently as she could, opened the gate and stepped into the courtyard, creeping behind a pillar to hide herself in the shadows. _

"_What do you want from me?" her mother shrieked._

"_The princess," he said. "Tell me where she is," the girl gasped._

"_No," _

"_Tell me where she is," the guard repeated. At this, the girl felt herself freeze on the spot._

"_I refuse!"_

"_Do I have to ask you again?" The Queen said nothing. The guard dragged her away, and it was not until they were facing the opposite direction that the girl noticed that her mother's hands were bound._

"Jonas," Hunter came and sat on her friend's bed, a little while after her talk with agent Mason.

"Hey," said Jonas, softly, setting down the games console he was using. "How did it go?"

"I don't know," said Hunter. "I'm still trying to process it all." She felt a little surreal, like it had never really happened; the finding out her father was killed, the warning of all the terrorists; Ms. Mason's arrival; everything. The only feeling of familiarity, of comfort she felt was when she was sat next to Jonas, talking like they had always done, ever since they were little. They could always open up to each other and were content with each other's presence, which was something that always calmed Hunter down.

"She's a stranger, is what I don't understand," said Jonas. "Should you trust someone you've never met?"  
"I don't know," said Hunter, "I feel like I should, I don't know whether that is because she looks like me or because Eli trusts her, but I feel like I should. I feel as if there is something missing that I've never been told before; something that I need to do to enable me to know the answers to all of this."

"Eli trusts her?" asked Jonas. "I mean, I know he lets her in and all, but I've never seen her before, and I know what he's always said to me about never talking to people I don't know,"

"He told me he trusts her; that he'd worked with her father," Hunter replied. "But I am scared. I told her that I would trust her,"

"Why did you tell her if you said you were unsure?"  
"Because she told me what was happening,"

"And that is…?"

"I have to leave the city."

"What?"

"I have to hide. Even more so than I am doing right now."

"You can't go; you'll be killed!" Hunter shot him a look.

"Thanks, that helped with my nerves,"

"Sorry. But did Mason convince you to do this?"  
"Jonas, this is no time for your incompetence."

"Incompetence? You're saying that to me?"

"Jonas," Hunter pleaded. "I need you right now. You're the only one who understands. Please help me."

"It's not safe out there, Hunter!"  
"You think I do not know that?" she asked, incredulously. "I have seen the world news in the bigger countries. Of wars, genocides, people dying all around us; all the violence, all the terrible things- it is like people bring children into this world of fear, like they would send men into the armed forces, just praying that they would survive; that they would come back. Terrible, terrible things happen for no reason. I am not safe here, Jonas. They're coming soon, for me. They're holding my mother hostage," Hunter's voice was desperate, and she was in tears. "I have a chance to save her. But I cannot from here. I have to go, to take that chance that means I could save my mother; myself. Jonas, you are my family, you have to support my decision."

"You've thought about this," it wasn't a question. And it was all he could say.

"It has been tearing me up inside," she replied, quietly, her voice still strained. Jonas looked at Hunter. She looked so much younger than she was; a small child lost in this huge world. But she was by far the bravest person Jonas had ever known, especially since she was coping with all of this baggage that he didn't even realise was there, until she let it all out. He sat, just listening to everything she had to say, his steady demeanour keeping her calm, giving her something to hold on to. If he lost it, she'd take the blow, and he knew that. She didn't deserve any of that. She just didn't.

He hugged her tight after that, the only thing he could think to do to show that he was on her side, and that he was there for her.

She had to do this.

One night left. Carter lay in the bed of the small motel of which had decided to bunk in for the night, maybe the following night as well, but she knew she only had one real night to work out the plan and get Hunter ready to move. It was going to be tough, she knew that, but she had to find out as much information as she could while keeping the princess out of sight and away from any danger.

She had discovered earlier the real thing that she had to do to find and destroy all of the general's reasons to go after Hunter was to find out what the young girl was hiding. She knew that Hunter knew something, and that something was one step closer to victory for her and the Royal family of Costa Delatorre, one step closer to setting them free. Things were starting to fall into place, albeit slowly, but now Carter realised why this was a particularly tough case, and why she was given hardly any help or blueprints- plans, for this mission. It was because they had nothing on this.

It was a sudden call; the director had told Carter just before she had left the P.P.P. HQ. No one had been monitoring Costa Delatorre properly for years since the only heir to the throne was so young, and they kept everything in their country very low-key. There had not been anything shocking happening, no wars that they hadn't sorted out themselves already, and so it was a surprise when the head of security of the kingdom sent out a distress signal. Carter had never considered thinking about why the P.P.P. never thought to monitor the country as thoroughly as others, and why one of their reasons is that they had little concern because the princess was so young. Carter thought about it, and it made sense to her that with a princess being so young, they were under more threat than most because the princess is more vulnerable than older heirs who may have been taught forms of self-defence. So she wondered why the P.P.P. hadn't thought about that, especially since what happened with Rosie, everyone thought she was more vulnerable than she was because she was only sixteen at the time. This led Carter into more brainstorming, and she then came to the conclusion that the reason they might not have expected the attack on the kingdom is that the princess must have known a hell of a lot more about something crucial than anyone would have suspected. And that was when she knew that she needed Hunter with her on the road while she was figuring things out.

The first thing that struck Carter about Hunter was the resemblance she instantly saw between the two. That was what spiked her curiosity for the mission in the first place. She had Carter's eyes; the same eyes that Joe told her she had shared with her mother, and she'd seen pictures of her mother since she'd left all those years ago, so she remembered well enough what she looked like. Carter was fiercely stubborn, which she had also gotten from her mom, her dad told her that all the time. Joe barely managed to win arguments against her, the only thing that topped Carter's ability to get what she wanted was the fact that he was her dad, and he could ground her if things got too out of hand. She hated being grounded, but not because she couldn't do anything after school or at weekends (she didn't do much anyway), it was because she hated having power over her and knowing she had that restriction that she didn't set for herself. It seemed to her like Hunter was stubborn, and she couldn't stop the comparisons flowing through her head of Hunter and herself, and her mother.

She had never met the princess's mother, the Queen. Meeting the Queen, finding out who she was, what she looked like, what she was like, was the only thing Carter could think of which would settle the silly 'what if's' that were buzzing around in her brain like angry flies. _'What if she's related to me?' 'What if her mother is actually my mother who had disappeared and married some king and I had a long lost sister?'_ She knew it was stupid to think like that, but she had read stories like that, and seen television shows with similar plotlines and even though that definitely was _not_ the explanation as to why Hunter looked like her, it kept plaguing her.

But she realised it also was the sole reason she swore to herself that she would never, ever let anything happen to Hunter while she was on this case.


End file.
